Smoking stand



Jan. 28, 1936. A, M RAY 2,029,192

SMOKING STAND Filed May 27, 1955 Patented' Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED STATESPATENT v OFFICE 15 Claims.

This invention relates to smoking stands, and more particularly todevices 01' this character which are adapted to both receive the ashesof, and prevent the escape into the atmosphere of 5 smoke from, alighted cigar or cigarette.

Although various forms of ash receivers are already known which areintended to minimize or prevent the continued escape of smoke into theair from a cigar or cigarette after the smoker has finished with it andplaced it in the receiver, these prior devices are neither intended to,nor do they in fact, have any efiect upon the smoke from lighted cigarsor cigarettes which are only temporarily laid down by the smokers.

It is therefore one oi the objects of the present invention to provide asmoking stand of new and unusual construction which will not onlyconstitute a smoke-suppressing receiver for ashes and butts, but willalso include novel means for supporting lighted cigars and cigaretteswhich are still in use in such a manner as to prevent the smoketherefrom from escaping into the atmos-. phere and fouling the air ofthe room in which the stand is located.

Another object is to providean improved smoking stand in which isembodied unique means for preventing the accumulation of along ash onthe end of a cigar or cigarette temporarily placed on thestand by thesmoker.

A further object is to provide an ash receiver of such construction thata lighted cigar or cigarette may be safely supported thereby withoutdanger of accidental displacement and in such position that the ashesand smoke therefrom are automatically drawn into the receiver and thereabsorbed.

Still another object is to provide a smoking accessory of the characterreferred to which will automatically extinguish a lighted cigarettesupported thereby after the latter has burned down to the point ofsupport.

A still further object is to'provide a new and improved ash receiver inwhich a draft of air is created and utilized for sucking down into thebody of the receiver all ash and smoke from cigars and cigarettes whichmay be placed on the receiver, and which also embodies means foreffectively preventing the escape therefrom into the atmosphere of boththe smoke and smell of the tobacco.

These and other objects, including the provision of suitable means forreadily removing ashes, butts, match sticks and the like from the deviceand for controlling the operation or and gaining access to the draftproducing element of the structure, will appear more fully upon aconsideration oi the detailed description of the embodiment of theinvention which follows. Although only one specific form of smokingstand embodying the invention is described and illus- 5 trated in theaccompanying drawing, it is to be expressly understood that this drawingis for purposes of illustration only and. is not to be construed asdefining the limits of the invention, reference being had to theappended claims for this 10 purpose.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicatelike parts throughout the several views:

Fig. l is a perspective View, with certain of the internal parts shownin broken lines, of one form of smoking stand embodying the presentinvention; 4

v Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, with certain parts shown in full,taken along the aids oi the g0 embodiment oi Fig. i;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line ofFig. 2 and v Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion ofthe top oi the stand shown in Fig, l 25 to indicate the construction oithe means which are provided for temporarily holding lighted cigars andcigarettes.

in the relatively simple form shown the smoking stand of the presentinvention comprises a 30 substantially cylindrical body portion oreasing 5, which may be made of any suitable material such as sheetmetal, open at both ends with a passageway therebetween and supported atthe bottom by suitable feet 6 which are secured to 35 the bottom of anapron or base portion H formed integrally with and extendinghorizontally from the body portion 5. It will be noted that feet 6support the body portion 5 above the floor so that there is ample spaceprovided for the circu- 0 lation of air from the inside of body portiondownwardly and outwardly through the open bottom thereof.

The top of body portion 5 may be curved outwardly in any suitable mannerso as to provide a substantially horizontal ledge 8 on which is mountedthe means for securely holding cigars or cigarettes temporarily laiddown by the smokers. In the form illustrated, the supporting meanscomprises a series of upwardly extending arette which is placed betweenadjacent loops will be resiliently engaged thereby and securely held a'ainst accidental displacement.

The v'spring tension in supporting loops 9 is also s proportioned thatthe pressure exerted thereby against the sides of a cigarette pinches orsqueezes the tobacco sufliciently tightly to extinguish thecigarettewhen it burns down to the point at "which it is engaged by the loops.This feature is particularly useful in putting out lighted cigaretteswhich have been placed between loops 9 and then forgotten or discarded.The ends of loops 9 may be secured to ledge 8 in any suitable way, asimple construction being to form all of the loops out of a single pieceof coiled wire' and to thread the same through suitable holes l0 whichare formed in ledge 8 in pairs, as indicated in Fig. 4. The two ends ofthe coil may be prevented from, pulling out of their respective holes inany desired manner, as by threading a large headed screw ll into thecoil as shown.

With this construction, it will be seen that the lighted ends of thecigars or cigarettes which are placed between holding loops 9 projectinwardly over the hollow interior of body portion 5 of the smokingstand. Suitable means are then provided for creating a downward draft ofair through the passageway formed in body portion 5 which will not onlysuck all smoke downwardly and thereby prevent its mixing with the air ofthe room in which the smoking stand is located, but in addition willdraw the ashes from the cigars and cigarettes into the body portion 5which also serves as an ash receiver.

In the embodiment illustrated, this downward draft of air is produced bymeans of a small electric motor l2 which is mounted within'body portion5 in any desired manner, as by a pair of brackets if, with its shaft Min a substantially vertical position, the upper'end of said shaft havingsecured thereto a suitable suction fan or propeller l5 the blades ofwhich are so formed as to'create a sumcient downward flow of air to drawinto casing 5 smoke and ashes from cigars and cigarettes held over theopen top of the casing. Motor I2 is preferably of the induction type,without commutator or brushes, so as not to interfere with radioreception and to be practically noiseless in operation, the leads l6there to terminating in a suitable socket H which may be secured to andextend through the wall of body portion 5, as shown in Fig. .l, inposition to receive the usual form of detachable electric plug i8 of anextension cord to.

With this construction, the smoking stand can be readily transportedfrom place to place and easily connected and disconnected to anyelectric outlet of the ordinary house wiring circuit. Forconvenience,the stand may also be provided with a suitable switch control for motorl2 so that the fan may be actuated at will without the necessity forconnecting and disconnecting either electric plug I8 or the connectionof extension cord is to the supply circuit. In the form shown, a switch20 of any suitable construction is mounted on ledge 8 and connected tothe motor by leads 2!. If desired, leads it may be enclosed within asuitable conduit to avoid the possibility of becoming burned, or theymay be carried up the outside of body portion 5. It will be understoodthat leads it may also be suitably protected against damage by burning;

ashes, butts, tch

sticks and the like which are either drawn down by the draft of aircreated by fan I5 or are intentionally dropped into the receiver, andfor filtering the air which is drawn through the casing of the stand toremove therefrom the smoke and smell of the tobacco before it againreturns to the atmosphere through the open bottom of the casing. Forthis purpose, an open top bag 22 of very finely meshed cloth, like thatused for the dust bag of an ordinary vacuum cleaner, is suitablysupported within body portion 5, in a position below motor I2. As shown,the periphery of the top of the bag is secured to a ring 23 of anydesired construction, either rigid or flexible, which rests on and issupported by a' suitable bracket 24 secured to the inner wall of bodyportion 5 of the stand. In order that bag 22 may be readily respectionand repair purposes.

By making bag 22 of finely meshed cloth it will i5 so that access -maybe had to the fan and motor for oiling, in-

serve to filter the smoke from the air as the latter passestherethrough, as well as to catch and retain ashes, etc. In order thatthe smell of the tobacco may also be removed from the air so as toprevent further fouling of the atmosphere of the room, a supply ofdeodorizing crystals 26 of any suitable composition may be placed in bag22. There are already on the market several kinds of such crystals whichwill -both deodorize and perfume the air as it passes through the bag;

It may also be desirable .to treat bag 22 in known manner so as torender it fireproof-should it be anticipated that the bag will serve asa receiver for lighted cigars and cigarettes, as well should it hepreferred to prevent the falling of butts, whether lighted or unlighted,match sticks and the like into bag 22, body portion 5 may be providedwith a screen 2'! of very finely meshed wire supported in a positionabove fan l5 either by a bracket similar to bracket 24 or simply byidentations or projections from the inner wall of body portion 5 likethose indicated at 28 in Fig. 2. Screen 21 may be fitted with a suitablelifting ring 29 to facilitate its removal through the open top of bodyportion 5, while spilling'of the material which is caught by screen 21can be prevented during removal by providing the same with a suitablerim,30.

There is thus provided by the present invention a smoking stand of novelconstruction which,

in addition to performing all of the functions of the air before itagain reaches the atmosphere of the room not only prevents the smokefrom mixing with and fouling the atmosphere but also automatically drawsoff and disposes of the exa 45 as for the ashes therefrom. On the otherhand.

cess ash as the cigars or cigarettes burn, thereby eliminating thenecessity for continuous flicking off of the ashes and. the attendantsoiling of clothes, floor and table tops which results when the ashesare not properly disposed of. The supporting means of the smoking standof the present invention also perform avaluable dual function in thatthey not only securely hold the cigars and cigarettes which are placedtherein in such manner that they cannot be accidentally knocked off ontothe floor, but also grip a cigarette withsufiicient pressure toextinguish it when it burns down to the point of support. The provisionof the bag which both acts as a receiver for the ashes and also filtersthe smoke and smell of the tobacco from the air as it is drawn throughthe stand is likewise a unique and important imf in combinationprovement over all smoking stands which have previously been availableto the public. The construction of the present stand is relativelysimple, it is economical to manufacture, and it can be quickly andeasily cleaned after use. These features, together with the fact that itcan be readily moved about and used in any desired location, clearlydistinguish the present device as a smoking accessory of unusualadvantages and the useiulness and asubstantial contribution to thecomfort and health of both smokers and nonsmokers.

It will be readily appreciated that the invention is not limited to theparticular construction illustrated in the drawing, but is capable of avariety of mechanical embodiments. For example, the body of the smokingstand may be given any desired shape other than the simple formillustrated, and the passageway therethrough may be varied accordingly,without in any way departing from the invention, Likewise, the size ofthe device is limited only by the space within which the constituentelements may be placed, it being entirely within the contemplation ofthe invention to make the stand in such sizes that it can be placed on atable or other support as well as on the floor. It is also to beunderstood that the draft creating means and the ash receiving filterbag may be used without the upper screen and with any suitable form ofcigar or cigarette holder other than the coiled spring embodimentillustrated. Various other changes,

some of which have been referred to in the preceding description andothers which will now become apparent to those skilled in the art, maybe made in the form, details of construction and arrangement of theparts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Reference istherefore to be had to the appended claims for a definition of thelimits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable smoking stand comprising a body portion having an open topand a passageway therethrough communicating at the other end with theatmosphere of the room in which the stand is located, means forsupporting a cigar or cigarette with its lighted end adjacent the opentop of said body portion, means for creating a draft of air through saidpassageway in a direction away from the open top, and means for removingashes and smoke from the air drawn through said passageway before itagain reaches the atmosphere of the room.

2. A portable smoking stand comprising a body portion open at both ends,means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with its lighted end adjacentthe opening at one end of said body portion, means for creating a draftof air through said body portion in a direction away from the end atwhich said supporting means is located, and

means in said body portion for filtering ashes and smoke from the airdrawn through the body portion. 7

3. A smoking stand comprising a body portion having an open top and apassageway therethrough communicating at the other end with theatmosphere, means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with its lightedend adjacent the open top of said body portion, means for creating adraft of air through said pas eway in a direction away from the opentop, means adjacent the entrance to said passageway for catching andretaining any unburned material which may enter through said open top,said means being so constructed as to permit the passage therethrough ofair, smoke and ashes, and means for removing smoke and ashes from theair drawn through said passageway before it again reaches theatmosphere.

4. A portable smoking stand comprising a body portion having an open topand a passageway therethrough communicating at the other end with theatmosphere of the room in which the stand is located, means mountedadjacent 'the open top of said body portion for yieldingly gripping acigar or cigarette and supporting the same with its lighted end over theentrance to said passageway, means for creating a draft of air throughsaid passageway in a direction away from the open top, and means in saidpassageway for removing ashes and smoke from the air drawn through saidpassageway before it again reaches the atmosphere of the room.

5. In a smoking stand, the combination with a body portion having apassageway therethrough communicating with the atmosphere at both endsof a fan housed within said body portion for creating a draft of airthrough said passageway, and a member extending across said passagewayof such construction as to'remove smoke and ashes from the air flowingtherethrough.

6. In a smoking stand, the combination with a body portion having apassageway therethrough communicating with the atmosphere at both endsof a fan housed within said body portion for creating a draft of airthrough said passageway, and a member of finely meshed fabric extendingacross said passageway and adapted to receive and filter from the airflowing therethrough smoke and ashes carried thereby.

7. A smoking stand comprising a casing having an open top and apassageway therethrough communicating at the other end with theatmosphere, means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with its lightedend adjacent the open top of said casing, a fan mounted within saidcasing so constructed and arranged as to create a draft through saidpassageway in a direction away from the open top, and a member of finelymeshed fabric extending across said passageway and adapted to removesmoke and ashes from the air flowing therethrough.

8. A smoking stand comprising a casing having an open top and apassageway therethrough communicating at the other end with theatmosphere, means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with its lightedend adjacent the open top of said casing, a fan mounted within saidcasing so constructed and arranged as to create a draft through saidpassageway in a direction away from the open top, a screen mounted insaid passageway between the entrance thereto and said fan for catchingand retaining any unburned material communicating at the other end withthe atmos-- phere, means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with itslighted end adjacent the open top of said casing, a fan mounted withinsaid casing so constructed and arranged as to create a draft throughsaid passageway in a direction away from the open top, a member offinely meshed fabric extending across said passageway and adapted toremove smoke and ashes from the air flowing therethrough, and meanscarried by said fabric member for deodorizing the air as it passestherethrough.

16. A smoking stand comprising a casing having an open top and apassageway therethrough communicating at the other end with theatmosphere, a fan mounted within said casing so censtructed and arrangedas to create a draft through said passageway in a direction away fromthe open top, a member of finely meshed fabric extending across saidpassageway and adapted to remove smoke and ashes from the air flowingtherethrough, and means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with itslighted end adjacent the open top of said casing including a pair ofupwardly extending loops of coiled wire secured at their lower ends tosaid casing and having their adjacent vertical sides normally spacedapart by a distance less than the diameter of a cigarette.

11. In a smoking stand, the combination with a casing having an open topof means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with upwardlyextending'ioops of resilient material formed fro one continuous piecesecured at their lower ends to said casing through a plurality of holesin said casing and having their adjacent vertical sides normally spacedapart by a distance less than the diameter of a cigarette.

12. In a smoking stand, the combination with a casing having an open topof means for supporting a cigarette with its lighted end adjacent saidopen top comprising a plurality of upwardly extending loops of resilientmaterial formed from [one continuous piece secured at their lower endsthan the diameter its lighted end adjacent said open top comprising aplurality of to said-casing through a plurality of holes in said casingand having their adjacent vertical sides normally spaced apart by adistance less of a cigarette, the resiliency and spacing of said loopsbeing such that a cigarette placed between two of them will be grippedthereby with a yielding pressure sumcient to extinguish the cigarettewhen it burns down to the point at which it is engaged by said loops.

13. A smoking stand comprising a substantially vertical casing open atboth top and bottom, means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with itslighted end adjacent the open top of said casing, a fan mounted withinsaid casing so constructed and arranged as to create a draft of airtherethrough in a downward direction, and a fabrie bag supported withinsaid casing and ex- ,tending across the passageway therethrou in, said Jag being of such material as to permit the passage of air therethroughwhile preventing the passage of smoke and ash.

14. A smoking stand comprising a substantially vertical casing open atboth top and bottom, means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with itslighted end adjacent the open top of said casing, a fan mountedwithinsaid casing so constructed and arranged as to create a draft of airtherethrough in a downward direction, a finely meshed screen mounted insaid casing above said fan and adapted to catch and retain any butts,match sticks or. the like which may enter said casing through theopening, and a fabric bag supported Within said casing and extendingacross the passageway therethrough, said bag being of such material asto permit the passage of air therethrough while preventing the passageof smoke and ash.

15. A smoking stand comprising a substantially vertical casing open atboth top and bottom, means for supporting a cigar or cigarette with itslighted end adjacent the open top of said casing, a fan mounted withinsaid casing so eonstructed and arranged as to create a draft of airtherethrough in a downward direction, a

fabric bag supported within said casing and extending across the bagbeing of such material as to permit the passage of air therethroughwhile preventing the passage of smoke and ash, and means carried by saidbag for deodorizing the air as it passes therethrough.

ALVIS M. RAY.

passageway therethrough, said

